When one is tightening bolts on a car, there are torque specs in most cases. Thus one can use a torque wrench to ensure that you're meeting the spec and not putting undue stress on the bolt-plus-nut assembly (and also not cracking the metal parts that bolt and nut are clamping together). Of course we all know that in many cases, in repairs and particularly with home mechanics, bolts are just tightened and the "spec" is just done by eyeballing it (i.e., no torque wrench used). So my question is, is there any analogy for screws? In other words, how to you ensure a screw is tightened properly but not overtightened?

Dave, thanks for letting us get inside the head of a failure analysis specialist. Much like detective work, it's fun to get in on the thought process as you follow the trail to the end resolution. And with this example, it shows you really do have to sweat the small stuff.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

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